I've made some torches for my backyard. The easiest way to make a homemade torch is to buy the replacement canisters for normal torches and build around them.

This one was built this way. I wanted something that was at least 6 ft tall. I just used pressure treated wood to make a box and cut a hole in the top that fits the canister but is covered by the metal flange.

It is an admitted simple looking design, but the fundamentals are there, and with some imagination, nearly any design is possible.

I just made this one today:

It is just a 8 in. terra cotta pot that I painted. For this one I used a mason jar for the fuel canister and put rocks around everything to hide the wick and make it look like the rocks are on fire.

I've also have a torch that was an old boy scout popcorn container that I've hung down from a tree branch about 20 ft, to about 5 ft off the ground with some old copper wire I had laying around. Pretty much, anything you can think to make a torch from, can be done.

I always keep my eyes open for old tiki torches in trash piles in my neighborhood. Usually people through them out because the bamboo is bad, but the canisters and wicks are still good. It is a cheap way to get started building your own.
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